Mario Balotelli: Last chance saloon for Berlusconi's 'rotten apple'

Home again – Mario Balotelli was mobbed by fans outside a restaurant as he returned home to Italy to complete his $30 million move from AC Milan to Manchester City.

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Being Balotelli: The life and times of Mario7 photos

Training ground fracas – His future at the English Premier League champions had been in doubt since his training ground bust-up with manager Roberto Mancini in early January, when coaching staff had to intervene to separate the pair. Mancini later downplayed the tussle, sparked by Balotelli's hostile tackle on a fellow player, as "nothing unusual."

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Being Balotelli: The life and times of Mario7 photos

Balotelli's breakthrough – Balotelli made his Inter Milan debut in 2007 after being signed by the club at the age of 15. He scored the first goals of his senior career in a Coppa Italia match against Reggina in December of that year.

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Being Balotelli: The life and times of Mario7 photos

Testing the Special One – Balotelli joined Manchester City from Italian club Inter Milan. His relationship with Inter coach Jose Mourinho endured numerous ups and downs. Disciplinary issues littered his time at the San Siro and the situation came to a head in March 2010, when Balotelli was left out of Inter's squad for a Champions League tie after an altercation with Mourinho.

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Being Balotelli: The life and times of Mario7 photos

Red mist – Mancini was Balotelli's first coach at Inter Milan and the pair were reunited in 2010 when the striker joined Manchester City. The start of Balotelli's City career was disrupted by injury, but he finally scored his first Premier League goals in a 2-0 away win at West Bromwich Albion. His joy at netting a brace was short-lived, however, as he was sent off after picking up two yellow cards.

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Being Balotelli: The life and times of Mario7 photos

'Why always me?' – Balotelli became a hit with City's fans, as much for off-field antics as his goalscoring. His stock with the supporters was never higher than in October 2011, when he scored twice in City's 6-1 thumping of neighbors Manchester United at Old Trafford. After scoring the first goal in City's victory, he revealed a t-shirt stating "Why always me?" -- instantly creating one of the most iconic images of the Premier League era. City went to beat United to the English title on goal difference with a dramatic last-gasp victory over Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the season.

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Being Balotelli: The life and times of Mario7 photos

Super Mario – Balotelli reminded everyone of his undoubted talent during the 2012 European Championships. He scored three times as Italy reached the final, including both goals in the Azzurri's 2-1 semi win over Germany. Italy lost 4-0 to Spain in the final of the tournament co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

Story highlights

Italian international striker joined City from Italian club Inter Milan

Balotelli has been sent off six times in his career

Despite being recently branded a "rotten apple" by AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi, Mario Balotelli was treated to a rapturous reception on his return to the northern Italian city.

With votes at stake in the Italian elections -- La Stamp estimates the signing of "Super Mario" could be worth 400,000 votes as Berlusconi attempts a political comeback -- his new boss' blunt assessment was quickly forgotten as the former Italian prime minister sanctioned a $30 million deal to sign Balotelli.

His transfer ends the striker's whirlwind two-and-half-year stay with English champions Manchester City, during which time a litany of dust-ups have allowed Balotelli to become a caricature of the modern playboy footballer -- sporting talent and tabloid cult hero rolled into one.

One of his final acts as a City player was a training ground brawl with team manager Roberto Mancini, pictures of which were sprawled across newspapers.

In the aftermath of the dust-up, Balotelli's teammate Carlos Tevez offered to counsel the 22-year-old striker.

Having signed a four-and-a-half-year deal, Balotelli's future now lies back in Milan, where he rose to prominence with AC's city rivals Inter between 2006 and 2010.

Balotelli's training ground bust up 11 photos

Balotelli's training ground bust up11 photos

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was photographed grappling with his firebrand striker Mario Balotelli during a training run on Thursday, prompting coaching staff to intervene to separate the pair. Mancini later downplayed the tussle, sparked by Balotelli's hostile tackle on a fellow player, as "nothing unusual."

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Balotelli's training ground bust up11 photos

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Balotelli's training ground bust up11 photos

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EXPAND GALLERY

Unforgettable moments of Euro 2012 13 photos

Unforgettable moments of Euro 201213 photos

Euro 2012 highlights – Euro 2012 sparked into life when striker Robert Lewandowski scored the first goal of the tournament against Greece. Despite a lively opening, the co-hosts had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

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Unforgettable moments of Euro 201213 photos

Sheva sinks the Swedes – Ukraine were the other team to welcome Europe's finest, but the co-hosts fell behind in their opening match with Sweden. Step forward Andriy Shevchenko, the legendary striker who scored a second-half brace to delight the nation and secure a 2-1 win.

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Unforgettable moments of Euro 201213 photos

Blaszczykowski's blast – Tensions were high ahead of Poland's clash with Russia. The hosts fell behind when Alan Dzagoev headed in his third goal of the tournament, but Poland's captain Jakub Blaszczykowski fired in a stunning second-half equalizer to level the match. Despite the draw, Poland failed to make it out of the group stages.

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Unforgettable moments of Euro 201213 photos

Greek gains – Russia were also condemned to an early exit after 2004 champions Greece stunned Dick Advocaat's team by winning 1-0 and reaching the last eight.

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Unforgettable moments of Euro 201213 photos

Dutch despair – Despite being heralded by some as pre-tournament favorites, the Netherlands endured a miserable campaign, losing all three of their matches in a group which included Germany, Portugal and Denmark. Coach Bert van Marwijk resigned following the country's group-stage exit.

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Unforgettable moments of Euro 201213 photos

A close call – Ukraine needed to beat England to qualify from Group D, but went behind as Wayne Rooney scored on his return from suspension. Artem Milevskiy thought he had leveled when his shot appeared to cross the goal line, but John Terry cleared and England advanced alongside France.

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Unforgettable moments of Euro 201213 photos

Ronaldo Czechs in – Cristiano Ronaldo's personal mission to beat the Czech Republic succeeded in the closing stages as he superbly headed Portugal into the semifinals of Euro 2012.

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Unforgettable moments of Euro 201213 photos

Greek tragedy – Joint-favorites Germany were far too strong for Greece in the quarterfinals, thrashing Fernando Santos' side despite resting three of their forwards for the game.

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Unforgettable moments of Euro 201213 photos

All hail Alonso – Xabi Alonso scored both of Spain's goals in the quarterfinal against France, leading the champions into a showdown with neighbors Portugal on the occasion of his 100th cap.

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Unforgettable moments of Euro 201213 photos

Pirlo's Panenka – Andrea Pirlo was the coolest man in Kyiv as he chipped in this effort in a shootout against England. Italy advanced as Ashley Cole missed and Alessandro Diamanti fired in the decisive spot kick.

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Bruno hits the bar – Having got the order of the takers wrong, Bruno Alves compounded his own misery by smashing his penalty against the bar as Portugal lost in the semis to Spain.

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Unforgettable moments of Euro 201213 photos

Fabulous Fabregas – Cesc Fabregas' scuffed penalty went in off the post as Spain beat Portugal in their semifinal shootout to earn a place in the final against Italy in Kiev on Sunday.

Myriad stories -- both mythical and true -- surround Balotelli, who recently unveiled a head of bleach-blonde hair ahead of a match between second-place City and Arsenal.

There's the one about Balotelli driving into a women's prison, or the time he reportedly threw darts at youth team players out of a training ground window -- not to mention the impromptu bonfire which burned down his bathroom hours before he became the face of a firework safety campaign.

Or Balotelli being stopped by police for having thousands of pounds in a bag on the passenger seat of his car.

His alleged response when inquisitive officers asked why he was carrying such a huge amount of cash was to say: "Because I'm rich."

Outrageous talent

City showed admirable patience with their mercurial marksman, hoping he could consistently produce the form which saw him spearhead Italy's run to the final of Euro 2012.

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Balotelli endured a tempestuous relationship with former Inter coach and current Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho, but in Mancini, also a one-time coach of the Italian international at the Nerazzurri, he found a staunch ally, though the City manager used the striker with increasing sparsity.

It's this mix of lashings of outrageous talent, outlandish behavior and childish ill-discipline -- Balotelli has already picked up six red cards in his fledgling career -- which have made him a gold mine for newspapers.

Vincent Pericard is one former player who has experienced the high of being at a leading club and the low of languishing in the game's lesser leagues.

Born in Cameroon, Pericard was raised in France -- representing his adoptive country at under-21 level -- before he was snapped up by Italian giants Juventus as a teenager.

A bright future was predicted for the striker, but after leaving Juve in 2002 he moved to England and spent a decade slowly falling through the leagues.

He made five appearances for sixth-tier club Havant & Waterlooville before retiring from football in 2012, aged just 29.

Since quitting the game, Pericard has set up Elite Welfare Management, a business aimed at helping foreign players settle within the English game.

"The organization is the sum of my own experiences," the former Stoke City and Portsmouth player told CNN.

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"We want to stop players wasting their talent. We should support and understand what makes him behave the way he does, instead of judging him and saying he is a lunatic or he is not bothered," added Pericard, referring to Balotelli, who is of Ghanaian heritage and was born in Perugia and raised by an adoptive family in Brescia in northern Italy.

"All the problems relate to the social side of being a human being and how you interact with other people and how you interact with a new culture and how you adapt to it."

Football clubs are experts when it comes to keeping a player in peak physical condition, but Pericard is convinced the game has room for improvement when it comes to addressing issues of mental well-being.

"A player spends 80% of his time outside of the club's supervision and only 20% inside of the club," continued the Frenchman.

"It is one thing to look at how a player is physically, but the mental well being of a player is just as important. It can be the difference between teams going up, getting relegated or reaching the Champions League.

"The mind plays a massive part in a player's development and performance and this is something clubs need to tap into if they want to increase their chances of winning."

The view that talent alone is not enough is one which is widely supported by sports psychologists.

That is an approach not lost on five-time European champions Liverpool.

As part of a new philosophy adapted by manager Brendan Rodgers, -- appointed at Anfield in June last year -- the club recruited Dr Steve Peters, who helped hone the minds of Britain's all-conquering Olympic cyclists.

"It is absolutely vital that young players are given support right from the start," said Rebecca Symes, Sport Psychologist from British organization Sporting Success, who argues the amount of psychological support available to footballers decreases as they progress into the first team.

The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), a body which represents the interests of soccer players in England and Wales, was not available for comment when contacted by CNN.

"The transition from an academy into a senior squad is a really significant time," continued Symes. "I don't think enough emphasis is put on providing support to players during this transition and then throughout their professional career.

"While the access to support is a lot better compared to 10 years ago there is a lot of work still to do, especially in football."

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With clubs in England's top division receiving unprecedented levels of income -- the recent sale of EPL television rights domestically and internationally is set to generate more than $8 billion according to British media reports -- Symes sees no reason why mental health professionals should not be given a higher profile at clubs.

"Don't get me wrong there is some great work being done by organisations such as the PFA; Sporting Chance Clinic and the like. But appropriately qualified internal backroom staff fully integrated within a club is essential."

Breaking into a top-flight team can transform a young player's life as they are exposed to the pressures of a voracious 24/7 media and experience a level of financial wealth which they previously would have probably only dreamed of.

While sudden monetary gain itself might not destabilize a player, an inability to manage their finances in the long term might, suggests Dan Abrahams -- a sports psychologist specializing in football.

"I think its more having a capacity to deal with the wealth which comes to them," said Abrahams. "Over time, if you're not doing that, it can create pressure.

"The club needs to produce a culture of excellence," added Abrahams. "The five Cs -- culture; confidence, commitment, cohesion and caring.

"Many people would baulk at the last one. They might become multimillionaire footballers, but the only way they get there is if they have emotional and intellectual support."

After a career which shares some parallels with that of Balotelli, what advice would Pericard -- with the benefit of hindsight -- offer to the Italian?

"To seek help and accept help that will allow him to fulfil your potential and play until 35 and maybe be the best player in the world," he answered.

"With everything surrounding him, that is not going to happen. Accept the help that people are giving. Please accept it".